


Captive Prize

by Ffxivnerdgirl



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-10-01 16:42:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20339587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ffxivnerdgirl/pseuds/Ffxivnerdgirl
Summary: This fanfic is my take of a missing snippet from the Shadowbringers MSQ that involves two very important character that have a huge impact to the story. This has spoilers so I suggest that you get your self to lvl 79 after and between lvl 80.This is a dark interpretation of what happend after the WoD had defeated the last lightwarden and the events that happend afterwards. Might also warn you that some of the wording in my interpretation of this fic might cause triggers because of the description of violence and dark theme.I am also not good at catching grammar mistakes so don't judge me if you notice any. Just write a comment of where the mistake lies and I'll fix it.





	Captive Prize

All that the Exarch remembered before he blacked out was saying his last goodbye to the Warrior of Darkness. They were his inspiration, the inspiration in which lead him to continue his effort in saving the Frist from oblivion all these one-hundred years. If it weren't for the Warrior of Light or Warrior of Darkness help, all would of been lost to the Flood of Light and the sin-eaters both. However, because Exarch knew that with every light warden slain, the aiether absorbed within his champion would begin to corrupt them. Exarch knew he wouldn't live another lifetime to travel to different worlds or to come along on the WoD's adventures like he had dreamed of doing. And so he decided at the right time to sacrifice his own life by absorbing the corrupt light and send himself into the rift to die which would spare the life of the champion of the source. Unfortunately, a certian ascian decided to ruin the Exarch's plan with the sound of a bang! 

By the time the Exarch stirs he is no longer on Mt. Gulg. He is in a dark room save for one window which the light only bounces to one part of a wall. The light itself gives off a strange movement, something similar to how water is seen when you swim underneath its surface. The Exarch then attempts to move when a sharp pain shoots up from his back, causing him to let out a small painful whine before hissing. Looking down to the corner of his abdomen he sees the wraped bandages of the painful wound. Blood still damped around the area which suggests that someone patched him up not to long ago. He trys to move his arm only to hear the rattle and clinking of chains over his head. His wrists and arms were bound in dark violet chains above him with his body hanging only three inches off the ground. Ignoring the pain of the wound and his weakened stregnth from being away from the crystal tower, Exarch desperately struggles aginst the metal bindings. But the noise only invites the attention of his captor who was silently, patiently sitting in the shadows for his prisoner to finally awake. 

"Oh, good! Your awake."

Exarch stops his struggling after being startled by the familar voice. He stares out into the abyss to the other side of the room, behind the windows light to find a pair of glowing,golden gleaming eyes staring back at him. 

Exarch ferrowed his brow. "You!"

Emet-selch emerges from the dark, his grin wide and unfriendly as he slowly approaches his prize. 

"I was begining to worry that you wouldn't wake from your cat nap. Now that I've waited patiently for your recovery, you will answer every question I ask." 

The Exarch replies to the ascian with a defiant tone. "Your welcome to try. However, I am afraid your questions will be met with silence."

Stoping just a foot in front of the dangling form the kidnappers grin turns into a displeased scowl.

"If you wont give what I want, then-!"

In a swift moment a fist makes contact with the Exarches face. It was a painful punch to his lower jaw which was enough to draw blood. 

"Then I'll have to do what is necessary to make you speak. I want to know how you brought the hero of the source to the First? Why are you so fond of the hero? How did you.....!"

Emet-Selch suddenly pauses, eyes widening in realization of Exarch motives where not only focused on preventing tragedy to befall the First and Source. 

"Fond.....you care about them..." 

Emet-Selch roughly grabs the Exarch by the throat lifting him in his grip. Then in a strange, soft tone he asked "Exarch, do you love the Warrior?" Exarch winced and struggled to get oxygen as the hand around his throat was slowly tightening more and more. 

Another punch came around and followed another which caused both his nose and his forehead to ooze blood. 

Emet-Selch releases his grip on the Exarch's throat and started punching him on other parts of his body out of anger. 

"You wretched, little insect!" The ascian slaps the other with the back of his gloved hand. "Filthy, impure, imperfect, damnable savage!" 

Another slap but came from the left hand this time. The Exarch felt the pain but remained to show defiance in his features.

"I have labored ages upon ages, creating empire after empire to sow chaos to these false shards. Endless, careful planning for each Calamity!" 

Exarch gets a chance to adjust himself after the rounds that were afflicted on him while the other goes off on a rant. 

"And then came the moment we ascians have longed for; Finally, the Rejoining in which the Eight Calamity would initiate. Only for you and your precious Warrior of Li- Darkness to ruin everything we worked for!" 

Emet-Selch turns back to his prisoner. "And you-you inheriting the royal eye were able to use the Crystal Tower to come here, to the First to help unhinge the Flood!" 

He grabs the Exarch by the chin, grip hard and painful as he drew his face frighteningly close. His face was furious. 

In a low whisper he spat "Your love for your precious warrior is nothing to what I lost! What we lost! What we as the first people strive to bring back!"

He shoves the Exarch from his grip. "Love is dead to you mortals. You are all unworthy of the meaning of the word and your existence as a whole." 

The ascian turned his body and started to walk away. 

"YOUR WRONG!" The Exarch exclaimed. The words loud continuing to echo off the walls of the room and darkness that surrounds the two. 

For a moment it looked like his out burst startled the ascian into silence. The Exarch lifts his head to look to the other locked on staring into the gold hues that turned to narrow back at him. Exarch takes his stand.

"You are wrong, Emet-Selch! Love is not dead to us mortals. Neither is man's belief in holding on to hope." 

The chains that held him up start to rattle as he adjusts himself again. "I along with many, many others, millions of us hold love in our hearts and souls for one another. Even for those who have passed on."

Emets fist tightened as Exarch continued.

"I understand your pain, in your loss. But what you are doing is not love. What you're doing is murder. Genocide. Killing of innocent lives; men, women, and children."

Emet starts to walk back towards the Exarch in slow steps.

"The people who are inhabiting these shards and on the Source are alive and real! They have family, hope, courage, and have a right to live. To make history."

Emet grits his teeth into a scowl.

"We are alive and we will continue to fight. We will fight on so our children, and our children's, children would live for a better tomorrow!" 

"ENOUGH!" Emet lands a hard blow to the Exarches abdomen causing him to gasp in pain. And before Emet-Selch could deliver another, his attention is interrupted by the presence of the Warrior of Darkness having finally arrived in his domain. 

"They're here...." he whispers. 

He then looks back at the Exarch, head hung over from the blow to his stomach. Crouching down, Emet-Selch places his gloved index finger under the others chin lifting him up slowly. The Exarch was still wincing from the pain but he opened his eyes to a now grinning and amused ascian. 

"There is no hope, mankind is finished," he mocked with grin growing. "Your inspiration is finished." 

"Once the light within your champion breaks loose, they will turn into the strongest lightwarden and bring this shard into oblivion. You will be kept alive for your knowledge for my use to help in bringing the rejoining, and once that has commenced, Zodiark will be free and He will bring my people back." 

His grip tightened. "It was a good thing I shot you before you had ruined my plan in using the Warrior. Now you will witness their despair as they die a, slow agonizing death."

The ascian let's the other go as he stand up and turns to walk out of the room, chortle grows into a laugh. 

When he exits through a portal to the outside, he didnt notice a tear streaming down his left cheek until he is compelled to run his gloves over his cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello,  
I am new to this site and to making my first complete short fic of the games current expansion. I am the admin of the tumblr blog sequoiaofeorzea as I occasionally try my hand at rp on the site and in game but at times very slow at it. 
> 
> I've wanted to write a fanfiction of this game since I started playing FFXIV during A Realm Reborn, but never got myself to finish my started fic due to college and life stuff. However, I've kept notes and made short background information of my characters that follow most of the msq with some twists to make it unique that I hope to continue. 
> 
> This expansion has to be my favorite due to the story being compelling and emotional. I sure hope we will see more good plot coming in the post Shadowbringers patches to make more memories and to learn more lore. 
> 
> If you like my writing and how I interpreted the story, I would be glad to start up my original fic again from ARR to be continued through the other expansions to share my Warrior of Light along with her companions never ending journey through the world of Hydaelyn. 
> 
> *All character NPCs and original story belongs to Square Enix and the Final Fantasy XIV game franchise. I do not own anything except the imagination interpreted story telling of my characters and the NPCs of the game while still follows the games MSQ.*


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